The Betrayal That Broke Us

Chapter 3

"Jason, I'm so tired of being with you. Let's break up," I said.

After waiting endlessly without a reply, I turned to face him.

His unblinking eyes were glued to his phone screen as he kept refreshing it obsessively.

Only when his friend told him, "Robin is home safe", did the tension visibly drain from his hunched shoulders. Lifting his head distractedly, he asked, "What did you say just now?"

At that moment, I felt utterly ridiculous as tears welled up uncontrollably.

Jason appeared stunned, fumbling as he wiped my tears and pulled me into his arms.

"I promise I'll never see her alone again, alright?"

I met his gaze and spoke each word with deliberate clarity, "We're done."

The next week, I'd been telling Jason we should break up, yet he kept stubbornly lingering at home—cooking, cleaning, doing laundry.

Meanwhile, I focused on sorting out our entangled finances, consciously hardening my heart against relenting.

Jason had quit smoking five years ago, but now he had started again. Every day, he'd stand on the balcony, smoking and staring into space for hours.

At dinner, he'd zone out, looking at a plate of cod steak. I remembered that was Robin's favorite dish.

He even found the pasties I'd stuffed into his bag. He turned them over in his hands for the longest time.

The light had completely gone out of his eyes. Until one day, a friend called to invite him to play basketball.

On the balcony, he whispered urgently, "Is Robin coming?"

After hearing the answer, he tossed out a quick sentence. "I'm going to play ball with the guys."

He headed for the door in his pajamas. Then realized he hadn't changed, ran back, swapped clothes, and spent ages fixing his hair in the mirror.

He was giddy as a boy with a first crush. I couldn't help but say, with a bitter edge, "Going on a hot date?"

Only then did he plant a perfunctory kiss before bolting out.

That was when I realized that no matter how hard-hearted I tried to be, it still hurt.

Wiping my tears, I tore up the wedding invites and called the hotel, "Hello, I need to cancel our banquet."

But soon Jason returned, looking utterly defeated, and collapsed onto the couch without a word.

Puzzled, I asked, "Weren't you going to play basketball?"

He tossed a couch cushion in frustration. "Just ask what you want to ask, okay? Stop beating around the bush! Robin left the second she heard I was coming. Happy now?"

His outburst froze me in place. Even he looked taken aback by his own outburst, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry, Alina. I overreacted just now. I didn't mean to target you. I'm just mourning our friendship."

I said nothing more, simply standing up and heading to the guest room. "Grieve all you want. I'm going to sleep."

The living room light stayed on as Jason sat there, hollow, until midnight.

A sharp pain in my lower right abdomen jolted me awake. Weakly, I called out his name.

He rushed in, saw me sweating buckets, and immediately helped me up. "Come on, we're going to the hospital—now!"

But just as he was draping a coat over me, his friend called. He declined one call after another, but the phone kept ringing.

Grabbing it impatiently, he snapped, "What the hell do you want this late? Alina's sick, I'm busy..."

"It's Robin! Never mind! Alina's more important!"

Jason was so shocked that he dropped the coat. "Spit it out!" he barked, his voice rising.

"What happened to Robin?"